This Road
by AnonymousBuono
Summary: Before Amu joined, the Guardians had hit a low. There didn't seem to be any hope that there would be someone that could character transform and help them solve the mystery of the frequent X-eggs. How did the Guardians keep the motivation to continue? This is their story.


Setting: Before the start of the Shugo Chara! series.

Characters: Tadase Hotori, Nadeshiko Fujisaki, Yaya Yuiki, Kukai Soma

* * *

**Buono!Buono!**: _This Road (co・no・mi・chi)_

* * *

_Tadase was soon to start first grade when Easter finally took Utau away from his home, having been even younger when Ikuto left. By the time he first met Kiseki, he had already started first grade at Seiyo Elementary School. With this, the sadness of Ikuto and Utau leaving seemed to get better._

_When the returning Ace chair of the Guardians announced Tadase as the new King chair during the graduation of the preceding King and Queen chairs, Tadase was ecstatic and nervous at the same time._

* * *

_Nagihiko was starting second grade when his mother started him in the Fujisaki tradition of dressing up as a girl for dance, and transferred to Seiyo as Nadeshiko to do so. When he got more used to the prospect of acting as a girl, he was rewarded with Temari. The Guardians were glad to let Nadeshiko join them._

_Yaya was in first grade when she had transferred to Seiyo at the same time as Nadeshiko. A new fifth-grader Jack chair had been initiated at the beginning of the year, but was expelled later that year for poor behavior. When Yaya met Pepe for the first time, a result of pressures from elementary school, the Guardians would let her shadow the sixth-grader Ace chair._

* * *

_Tadase was in third grade when the Guardians were announced to be composed of him as the King chair, Nadeshiko as the Queen chair, Yaya as the new Ace chair, and a new sixth-grader Jack chair._

_Kukai was in fourth grade when he transferred to Seiyo halfway through the year. This was when he found himself enjoying sports clubs, and when he first met Daichi. This was also when he first met the Guardians._

_Yaya was in second grade when she had her first encounter with an X-egg. Tadase and Nadeshiko had already encountered one before, but it was only the Jack chair who could character transform. Having handled previous X-eggs with no problem, he hadn't expected the two-years-his-junior-new-kid to show him up in eradicating the X-egg. This was the first time the Guardians discovered that Kukai had a guardian character. The current Jack chair, however, had a pride complex. He had stormed off into the street._

_Nadeshiko was still in third grade when she was in attendance of the resulting funeral. After this would be when Kukai was announced as the new Jack chair of the Guardians._

* * *

_Nadeshiko had just started fourth grade when she discovered that Tadase's dog, Betty, died. When she returned to school from vacation, she, Yaya, and Kukai were told Tadase's family story._

* * *

At the beginning of Nadeshiko's fourth grade year, there was a subtle increase of X-eggs. This increase was from bi-annual appearances at most to monthly appearances. The Guardians also had a run-in with Ikuto over the summer, who appeared to have been the cause of an X-character attack. This was the first time any of the current guardians had dealt with such an attack.

As a result, Tadase was prompted to tell the others his story at the first Guardian meeting of the year. Now, the Guardians had no doubt that Easter had something to do with this increase of X-eggs, and that Ikuto was somehow involved with it as well.

With this encounter, the Guardians were brought attention to the Embryo and its capabilities. In addition, Tadase had also told them about the Humpty Lock, something only Kukai was unaware of. He also told them its effects with the Humpty Key, and just who was in possession of it, something none of the others were aware of.

None of them, however, could character transform, much less wield the Humpty Lock and actually find a way to purify X-eggs and X-characters. Without this, actually obtaining the Embryo seemed to be too far out of reach. They also had little knowledge of what was happening.

Things seemed grim.

They took this second meeting, however, to actually do paperwork. Their fate and just what would result from Easter's involvement with X-eggs, however, were still on all of their minds.

Yaya pouted and grumbled in her seat as she filled out paperwork. She looked enviously at Pepe, who was snacking on desserts and tea with the other guardian characters. Yaya's desire to relax and play had caused her to snap her pencil.

Yaya yelped in surprise as the pencil snapped, before growling and tossing it aside, crossing her arms as she complained, "Urgh, nothing's going right! The pencil's stupid, the paperwork's stupid, X-eggs are stupid, and everything is stupid!"

This prompted a character change, and soon enough Yaya and Pepe were both rolling around on the ground, crying with bibs and rattles to match.

Tadase sighed dejectedly, feeling sympathetic with some of Yaya's frustration, "I can't say I blame Yuiki-san for how she's feeling." He frowned as he continued, "With the slight increase in X-eggs, Easter's unknown involvement, everything going on with Ikuto Tsukiyomi, and what happened to Ogawa-san last year; it doesn't seem as if things will ever get better."

With the mention of the name, Kukai's expression turned from bored to anxious. The jock seemed hardly capable of any non-optimistic emotion, but the mention of the previous Jack chair before him was all it took to get him down. Kukai put his pen down as he said remorsefully, wincing as he recalled what happened the previous year, "Yeah, sorry about Ogawa-san, again. It was completely on accident, and I had no idea that he would react like that."

Nadeshiko shook her head and replied firmly, "Soma-kun, you need to stop apologizing, you didn't know any better."

Daichi nodded, and floated up by Kukai's head, "Yup, she's right. What happened to Ogawa-kun is in the past. Use this experience to make yourself a better version of you, because you're stuck walking this road no matter what."

With the talk of the previous Jack chair, Yaya had returned to her seat, but commented in a discouraged tone, "But, there's so many things happening that Yaya doesn't know about! Why are there so many X-eggs? What's Easter, anyway? What's Ikuto Tsukiyomi doing?" Yaya messed up her hair in frustration as she said, "All these bad things make Yaya feel like things will definitely never get better!"

Tadase nodded his head in agreement, before Kiseki floated up to him and scolded him, "That is no way for a king to think! Sharing all of your strength will surely bring about a change suitable for a king."

Nadeshiko nodded with what Kiseki said and added on, "Exactly." She then directly addressed Yaya and the others as she said, "You're quick to use the word 'definitely,' but think about it a little more. Is that really all you can do?"

At this, Kukai seemed to get fired up again, regaining his usual spirit as he said, "She's right! I mean, even if we hardly know a thing about Easter or the new X-eggs, we do understand our hearts a bit better, right? Even if my own abilities are nothing special by itself, if we all combine our strength like Kiseki said, we'll have a hundred times more courage!"

Yaya had her arms crossed, eyes closed, as she moved her head around to think about what Nadeshiko and Kukai said. Tadase considered their words as well, but seemed hesitant on the idea of things getting better. With his eyebrows scrunched in doubt, he was about to make a comment.

Daichi, however, floated up and interrupted them, waving off Tadase's doubt with a, "Don't worry about it, Hotori. Even if this road gets dangerous, you'll make a change so long as you're all sharing the strength of your hearts."

Yaya nodded along, "Mhm, mhm. Yaya gets it! All Yaya has to do is keep on walking on this road, and then everything will sparkle!" She jumped up on her chair as she nearly shouted, "And then all of these mysterious things will be waiting for Yaya and the Guardians everywhere, like a little shower! And then, Yaya's and the Guardians' future will burst open, and all Yaya and the Guardians have to do is grab it with our own hands!"

Nadeshiko put a reassuring hand on Tadase's shoulder as she said, "Don't worry. As long as we stick together, our future will reveal itself in due time. You'll see."

Tadase looked around at the other Guardians: from Nadeshiko and Temari, who gave a reassuring smile; to Kukai and Daichi, who gave the King chair a confident thumbs-up; to Yaya, who snacked on the treats; to Pepe, who gave a short comment of encouragement; and finally to Kiseki, who gave Tadase a knowing nod.

Tadase sighed in relief, before saying to the others, with a newfound confidence, "I'll walk this road, no matter what."

* * *

_Tadase was in fifth grade when Amu transferred to Seiyo Elementary School._


End file.
